Running Scared

by Velvet Vaughn

  Once Kayla and Ethan were in place, Noah gave the signal. Declan slid the door open and they tossed the stun grenades inside. Blinding light and deafening noise exploded, along with knock-out juice in the form of thick gray smoke erupted through the room. The grenades packed a special one, two, three punch developed by the geniuses at COBRA Securities and they worked like a charm. The knife fell from the big man’s hand as he scrunched his eyes closed and covered his ears.

  In the mayhem that followed, Kenzie’s chair overturned, and her face contorted in pain, probably from the deafening noise. Declan raced for her, skidding to a stop like a runner stealing second base. There was no sense trying to tell her it was him. She wouldn’t be able to hear him. He whipped out his knife and sliced through the binds. As soon as she was free, her hands slapped against her ears. Declan slid his arms beneath her, hoisted her into his arms and ran like an arrow shot from a bow for the door, trusting that his teammates would have his back.

  #

  Kenzie was sure the giant man would make good on his promise and slit her throat. The cut he’d inflicted earlier stung and she could still feel blood leaking out. If he moved the blade an inch or so to the left, he’d slice through her jugular and she’d exsanguinate in a musty, abandoned warehouse somewhere in the heart of Chicago. She closed her eyes so his wouldn’t be the last face she saw before she died. She conjured up Declan’s tantalizing image, the way his eyes crinkled and dimples appeared when he smiled. The look of heat and passion when they made love. The expression of tenderness and pride when he interacted with Jamal. Somehow, in the middle of her life falling apart, she’d found her dream man and she’d tumbled head over heels in love with him.

  She’d fallen in love with Jamal, too, but in an extremely different way. He was gentle and caring with boundless resilience and a true joy for life. Now that he’d be living with Declan, he’d thrive and reach his potential. She had no doubt he’d be winning gold medals in the Olympics like his coach and mentor, Peyton.

  She wished she’d had the opportunity to say goodbye to them. More importantly, she wished she could warn them that the Eighty-Sixers weren’t the only ones after Jamal. Declan and his coworkers were well-trained and wouldn’t let their guard down, but if they thought the threat was eliminated, the Daggers might sneak in and make a grab for Jamal.

  Shouts sounded around her, and then mass chaos ensued. Loud explosions reverberated from what seemed like every corner of the warehouse, followed by blinding light and toxic smoke. Her chair tipped over and she crashed to the ground, her shoulder absorbing the impact. If every sense wasn’t currently under attack, she might’ve yelped in pain. Even with her eyes closed, the light was extreme. She cracked a lid to see the Dagger who cut her drop to the ground. She could just make out his face and it looked like he was screaming. His mouth was open, but she couldn’t hear any sound. There seemed to be movement all around her, but with the heavy cloud of smoke, she was disoriented. Her throat was closing up, and now she was having trouble breathing. Suddenly her hands were free and she clasped them over her damaged ears. A mask was placed over her face. Were the Eighty-Sixers coming to kidnap her from the Daggers? Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

  She felt herself being lifted but she was too stunned to resist. Whoever it was looked like they escaped from a nuclear war movie with face mask, some kind of funky glasses and a sturdy headset. She thought the person might be trying to communicate with her, but it was as if she was underwater. She couldn’t discern the words or sounds. Light hurt her eyes, so she clamped her lids closed again. Then she was being carried out of the building into the fresh night air.

  The next thing she knew, she was carefully placed in a vehicle. She felt others piling in around her and then they were moving. Someone lifted the mask from her face. “Kenzie, can you hear me? Open those sparkling blue eyes for me, sweetheart.”

  A handsome face swam into focus. “Declan?”

  “Yeah, it’s me, honey. We’ve got you.”

  Two strong arms anchored her against a muscular body she was intimately familiar with and relief washed over her until she collapsed against him. She knew he’d find her. She didn’t know how he did, nor did she care. She was just happy to be back in his arms.

  “Jamal?”

  “I’m here, Kenzie,” a voice said from a distance. She was so discombobulated, it sounded like he spoke from beneath her.

  Declan rubbed a comforting hand against her back. “Give it time, babe, the effects will wear off.”

  She was only vaguely aware of Kayla patching up the wound on her neck. She didn’t know how bad it was, but they didn’t seem too worried, so she wouldn’t either. Darkness edged around her vision until only pinpricks of light were left. She needed to tell them about the other gang after Jamal. “Jamarcus stole something from the Daggers, and they want it back.”

  She wasn’t sure she uttered the words out loud before the black void claimed her.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Scarlett Harmon slid on her sunglasses as she exited the campus library and checked her phone. No messages. Her sister still hadn’t responded to her texts, so she tried calling instead. It kicked directly over to voice mail. She let out a frustrated sigh and dropped her phone in her backpack. Ruby hadn’t even hit her teens yet and she was already trying Scarlett’s patience. This was why she was more comfortable with computers than with people. Computers never let you down…well, they did when they crashed or refused to perform a function, but she could manipulate them until she was satisfied with the result. People, not so much—at least in her experience.

  Ruby was the reason Scarlett decided on Northwestern University for graduate school. After finishing her undergrad at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she’d planned on continuing at MIT. A computer prodigy, she attended college on a full-ride scholarship at sixteen, graduated at nineteen and at twenty-one, she was about to finish her master’s degree. She already had several lucrative job offers from some of the most prestigious companies in the Silicon Valley, but a phone call altered the course of her studies. She’d been headed to a lecture on innovative computer viruses and worms when her cell rang. She didn’t recognize the number but answered anyway. When the man on the line told her that her father had perished in a small plane crash, she wasn’t sure how to feel. She wasn’t happy, certainly, but she wasn’t devastated either. Numb would’ve been the best description.

  She remembered dropping to the mattress in her dorm room, listening to her father’s lawyer describe details about the man she barely remembered and his current wife going down in a Cessna in a storm off the coast of Mexico. He might’ve fathered her, but he was a total stranger. He’d left her and her mother when she was four. Though he was absent physically, he supported them financially and even set up a trust fund for when Scarlett turned twenty-five. He’d made millions in the stock market and investments and while she and her mother weren’t rich, they lived comfortably on the monthly stipend he provided.

  When Scarlett was fifteen, her world shattered when her mother died. Scarlett had no idea how to get in touch with her father, nor did she have the desire, so she moved in with one of her high school friends until she left for college the next year.

  As the lawyer droned on, she zoned out until something he said caught her attention.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Nunn, what was that?”

  “I said you’ve been listed as the next of kin for Ruby Harmon.”

  “Who’s Ruby?” Had her father left her his pet poodle or something? She loved dogs but was pretty sure they weren’t allowed in dorm rooms.

  “She’s your sister…well, half-sister.”

  Scarlett paused, letting the information sink in. “I have a sister?” Wow. News to her. Many times over the years she’d been tempted to dig up all she could on her father, but she held back, not wanting to know about the life he’d led after he abandoned her and her mother. Resentment overrode curiosity.

  “As I was saying, Ruby i
s in the care of child services. As her only listed relative, it’s up to you if you want to accept the role of her guardian.”

  “But I’m in college.” How could she take care of a kid?

  “Yes, I realize that, but you’re named in your father’s will. He left a letter for you as well.”

  Over the next few days, she learned that Ruby was ten and if Scarlett didn’t step up and take care of her, she’d be alone in the world, a ward of the state.

  To say the beginning of their relationship had been rocky was an understatement. Ruby hated having to move from her fifty-room mansion to a small one bedroom apartment, and she also resented their father’s glowing praise of Scarlett—something that stunned her since she had no contact with the man for over fourteen years and didn’t realize he kept up with her activities and achievements.

  If Scarlett were honest with herself, she begrudged Ruby’s relationship with their father since she’d never had one. But Ruby was just a child and she needed stability and support since her world had been upended. Scarlett knew exactly how that felt and had been committed to making it work, and the last six months had been good ones. That’s why she was worried when Ruby didn’t respond to her messages.

  “Scarlett Harmon?”

  She spun around at the summons to see a man she didn’t recognize. He was attractive in a bad boy way with longish black hair tied into a ponytail and dark stubble covering his chin. He wore a black leather vest over a white t-shirt tucked into blue jeans and industrial looking boots. His arms were covered in sleeves of the tattoo variety. She was pretty sure she hadn’t seen him in any of her classes. He was memorable. “Yes?”

  “I’m a big fan of yours,” he gushed. “I heard you can hack the unhackable and you’ve even developed a tracking drone that can’t be detected.”

  That was something she was still working on and it’d yet to be perfected. The government had already expressed interest. It wasn’t common knowledge, so she wasn’t sure how this man knew about her research. “Who are you?”

  “Oh, right. Sorry. My name is Leo Wilkins. I need to borrow your services for a project.”

  “Borrow my services?”

  “Bad choice of words. How about pay for them.”

  “I’m not for sale, Mr. Wilkins.”

  “Everyone has a price.”

  “Well, I don’t.” She turned to leave when he stepped in her path, blocking her exit.

  “I’m betting you do. Here, let me show you the terms of our agreement.” He punched buttons on his phone and swiveled it around so she could view the screen. Her vision blurred and she grabbed for his phone, but he jerked it out of reach.

  “Is she okay?” The image of Ruby tied to a chair with her head lulling to the side made Scarlett’s gut cramp and she was afraid she was going to be sick on Leo Wilkins shoes.

  “She’s fine and she’ll stay that way as long as you do exactly as I say.”

  “What do you want?” Her voice was a hoarse croak.

  “I’ll explain the details as we leave.” He lifted one flap of his vest to reveal a gun. “Come with me quietly and your sister won’t be harmed.”

  He had Ruby so she had no choice but to follow. Her legs shook so hard, she could barely walk. She spotted a campus policeman and tried to telepathically urge him to glance in her direction, but he was more interested in the woman he was talking to—or more specifically, the perky boobs spilling out of her skimpy t-shirt. No help there. Besides, she had a feeling Leo would make good on his promise and harm Ruby if she didn’t cooperate.

  He led her to a powder blue Mustang. She didn’t know much about cars, but this one was an older model, probably a collector’s edition or something. After sliding inside and buckling her belt, she tried to recall the instructions her self-defense coach drilled into her head, but her mind was a complete blank.

  Streets passed by in a blur. She should be trying to memorize the area to lead the cops back when she escaped with Ruby, but all she could think about was how scared her sister had to be all alone in a dark room. Acid bubbled up her esophagus.

  He drove them to an area packed with warehouses. They continued past ones that looked reputable into a section of derelict buildings that should’ve been condemned years ago and parked in front of the worst one. She had a hard time standing on wobbly legs. With a huff, Leo reached down and grabbed her arm, practically yanking her from the vehicle. Her protests to slow down fell on deaf ears as he dragged her inside. The space was cavernous, with dusty boxes and broken crates littering the floor.

  “What is this place?”

  “It’s our home.”

  “And who are you?”

  His lips contorted into a predatory grin, showcasing a gold tooth. How had she ever thought him attractive? He was revolting.

  “We’re the Daggers, sweet cheeks. The meanest, deadliest, nastiest gang in all of Chi-town.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Kenzie lost consciousness and though Declan wanted to stay with her until she woke, he needed to check on Eric. He had no idea what shape his brother was in or how bad his injuries. Kenzie would be sleeping for a while from the amount of knock-out juice she inhaled before he managed to secure a mask on her face. The cut on her neck wasn’t deep. Kayla had already cleaned and dressed it with butterfly bandages. He doubted it’d even leave a scar.

  “Noah, can you drop me back at the hospital before you take Kenzie and Jamal to the safe house?” BeBe had arranged accommodations for the duration of their stay in Chicago.

  “I was headed there now.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Kayla offered.

  “No, they need protection.” He indicated Kenzie and Jamal. “Not me.”

  “And they’ll have it with Noah and Ethan,” Kayla insisted. “You’re a target, too and we don’t leave our coworkers to go it alone. Sorry, newbie, you’re stuck with me.”

  He wanted to argue. It was Jamal and Kenzie he was worried about. He cared more about their safety than his. But Kayla was right. The Addison brothers were more than capable of watching over them. If the situation were reversed and one of his coworkers wanted to go off on their own, he’d argue, too. “Okay. You can come with me.”

  “Oh, how adorable. You thought you had a choice.”

  Ethan snickered and Declan considered smacking him in the back of the head but restrained himself.

  Noah pulled up to the hospital, shifted into park and turned in his seat. “Let us know as soon as you hear anything.”

  “I will.”

  Careful not to jostle Kenzie, he arranged her on the seat before climbing out of the Escalade.

  “Wait, Declan, I want to go with you,” Jamal called out.

  They’d kept him in the compartment after making sure he buckled up. He felt safe there. The hidden room in his aunt’s condo had saved his life. Declan would make sure to build him one, along with a pool in their home, wherever that might be. He’d toured the housing section of the compound and planned on building a house at some point. At the time, he’d thought there was no rush, but now that he was going to be an instant father, the time was now. He needed to call his bosses and purchase the plot he’d picked out and then start planning. He’d let Jamal design his own room.

  He’d been surprised to learn of the network of underground tunnels that led to Armageddon-proof subterranean rooms beneath the entire complex. Jamal would love it so much down there, he’d probably want to move right in.

  Declan leaned into the floorboard so he could talk to him through the ventilation panels. “I need for you to help Noah and Ethan with Kenzie. She might be scared when she wakes up and it will calm her to know you’re there. Can you do that for me?”

  “I guess, but Declan, please come back soon. I’ll miss you.”

  “I will, buddy, I promise. I’ll miss you, too.”

  After making sure Kenzie’s belt was buckled as she curled on the seat, he closed the door and then walked with Kayla into the
hospital.

  They beelined for the information desk. He didn’t know if Eric was in surgery or had been moved to a room. Those were the only two options he’d consider, except for him being well enough to be released, but that possibility was slim at best. He was relieved when a nurse gave them a room number, though she wouldn’t provide an update on his condition. They’d have to wait to talk to a doctor.

  They passed a kiosk selling several kinds of coffee and a gift shop with stuffed animals in the window. They made him think of the bear sitting in his truck at the airport. Jamal would be relieved to have Yogi back if he could find time to retrieve his vehicle. Kayla found a bank of elevators and they rode up to Eric’s floor.

  “I hate hospitals.” Kayla mock shuddered. “The smells, the sounds.”

  “You and me both,” he muttered. Waking up after the coma Jamal’s mom initiated, he did everything in his power to leave as soon as possible.

  The door slid open and a doctor with reddish blond hair and green eyes started in. His steps stuttered when he spotted Kayla. She had that effect on men. Not him, but then, his heart belonged to Kenzie.

  Slapping a hand against the wall, Declan concentrated on breathing. When had his heart become involved? Surely it was too soon for that organ to insert itself in the relationship, or whatever they shared. They’d been forced together in unusual circumstances. Maybe he was confusing feelings of gratitude and camaraderie for the “L” word.

  The panels slid open again and Kayla stepped out. He followed her by rote, glad she hadn’t noticed his mini panic attack. By the time they reached the end of the hallway, he’d pulled himself back together.

  As they turned a corner and approached the room, they both noticed the man standing outside the door at the same time. At six-four, Declan was used to towering over people, but this man topped him by four or five inches. Despite the chair at his side, he stood ramrod straight, his feet shoulder-width apart. His tree-trunk-sized arms were crossed over his chest and even Declan felt intimidated by his presence. Chocolate brown eyes surveyed his surroundings like a hawk, stopping when he spotted Declan and Kayla approaching. He dropped his arms, one hand resting on a weapon on his hip.